San José, Nov 10 (EFE) – Costa Rica face six crucial days in their aspirations to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar with matches against Canada and Honduras in which they have little margin for error and will play without its main character: goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Costa Rica added barely 6 points in 6 rounds of the Concacaf octagonal final, and a good part of them is due to the French goalkeeper of PSG, who with good saves saved the draws against Jamaica, the Honduras and Panama, and the victory over El Sauveur.
PSG reported that in the league game last weekend, Navas sprained his elbow and will therefore not be able to play Friday against Canada in Edmonton and next Tuesday in San José against Honduras.
Without its big star, the Costa Rican team will have to show perseverance and the good level that it has seen drop so far in the qualifying rounds, if it wants to continue in the fight, be among the three teams that will qualify directly. for the World Cup, or for fourth place, which gives the right to play a repechage.
The zone leader is Mexico with 14 points in 6 games played, followed by the United States (11), Canada (10), Panama (8), Costa Rica (6), Jamaica (5) , El Salvador (5) and Honduras (3).
A win will put Costa Rica fully in the fight for the direct ticket just one point away from Canada, but if the Canadians retain the three points they will open a significant 7 point lead over the Ticos in the middle of the octagon.
The Costa Rican goalkeeper will be Leonel Moreira, a goalkeeper who generally reacts well when Navas is absent from the Central America squad.
DEBT ATTACK
Costa Rica’s big debt is in the attacking zone, as in the game’s six games he has scored just four goals.
Monterrey Mexican striker Joel Campbell is Costa Rica’s main attacking card, but he’s not a natural or zonal scorer, a position where Costa Rica misses the big center-forwards they’ve had in recent times such as as Paulo Wanchope or Álvaro Saborío.
Saborío at 39 is still active and is one of the Costa Rican league’s top scorers, and was even called up for the playoffs in October, in which he barely saw a few minutes in the 2-1 loss to United. . States.
The generational replacement is still not consolidated in Costa Rica and coach Luis Fernando Suárez has had to build on the veteran base that has settled since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with personalities such as midfielders. field Celso Borges and Bryan Ruiz.
If they lose to Canada on Friday, Costa Rica will have virtually no margin for error in the second round of the octagonal, which begins at home against Honduras.
“These are two very strong matches in which the physical part will prevail. Canada is very fast, they arm very quickly and make transitions too fast; in the aggressive part they are doing quite well, it will be a game in which we have to match them physically, ”coach Suarez said this week.
Regarding Honduras, Suárez commented that it is a “very physical team which has already had a long working history”, and that it will be “very complicated”.
Along with Navas’ absence, injuries will also prevent Costa Rica from having German Bochum right-back Cristian Gamboa and left-back Ronald Matarrita.
Douglas Marin
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